Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos suffered a kidney stone attack while in Ecuador's Galapagos Islands and had to be airlifted by an Ecuadorian navy helicopter to his personal jet, then flown to the US for surgery, according to ABC News. Bezos is said to have suffered the attack on January 1st aboard a cruise ship, according to local media outlet Galapagos Digital. The helicopter's pilot was quoted by another Spanish-language outlet, El Comercio, as saying he received messages of thanks from Bezo's family and business partners. We've reached out to Amazon for comment on the situation and will update as we learn more.

Bezos confirmed the incident today, with an Amazon spokesperson providing the following statement to Business Insider: "I sent Jeff your note and here's what he sent back: 'Galapagos: five stars. Kidney stones: zero stars.'

There's an amazing lesson of humility, modesty to be learned, divined here for all of us who occasionally fall victim to the vainglorious self-aggrandizement Man is wont to sucumb to in taking stock of themselves, their accomplishments, especially those self-deludingly so, the best example of which is some recent Hawaiian vacationer as woeful practitioner of grandiosity, pomposity he is egregiously guily of.

Certainly Jeff Bezos is one of the fortunate few to whom the term "Master of the Universe" or versions thereof truly applies. Internet visionary, brilliant marketing savant, would-be space conquerer, newly ascended role as publisher of the soon-to-be vanquished crown jewels of MSM's imperious dead-tree dinosaurs aka 'Washington Post', Jeff Bezos has got it all.

I harbor no personal resentment towards Bezos nor any sense of Schandenfreude in the unfortunate situation he's currently been subjected to.

“Bezos confirmed the incident today, with an Amazon spokesperson providing the following statement to Business Insider: “I sent Jeff your note and here’s what he sent back: ‘Galapagos: five stars. Kidney stones: zero stars.’”

I had a kidney stone attack just one month ago. Thought it was gas at first. Put up with it for a couple days, then got up one night, couldn’t sleep with the pain. Went to the bathroom, enormous pain - on a scale of 1 to 10 that was close to 11. Urine was the color of cranberry juice. Went to the ER. Turns out I’d just passed it. Good thing too, because my left kidney had failed. They admitted me.

Spent the next couple of days inpatient, as they kept an eye on my creatinine levels (kidney function). Kept rising so they dismissed me. Oh, no ObamaCare - not yet anyway.

I understand a kidney stone attack is considered more agonizing than childbirth. I feel blessed not to have any first hand experience.

I've read the story of Willliam Shatner relaying how being under the terrible duress of a kidney stone attack feeling very self-consciousness as he groveled in nearly unendurable pain almost embarrassed at the thought of how the medical staff knowing him only as the intrepid Captain Kirk who usually faced similar scenarios with bravery and stoicism lay there as the mere real life mortal moaning like some pusillanimous, weak-kneed coward.

A most definite cringe-worthy story of bravery, adversity under agonizing circumstances. I've always been under the impression kidney stones were the result of eating too much red meat, surprised to hear how tea would also cause kidney stones, as well.

I’m “blessed” to be a kidney stone making factory. I’ve lost count of how many stones I’ve had now. Passed many, surgically removed others and lipotripsy. Had ‘em all.

The pain is quite intense and there is pretty much nothing you can do to minimize the pain. Even Morphine does nothing more than slightly take the edge off, but that’s about it.

The first time you get one you’re pretty sure you’re gonna die. The next few times you know what it is and you know how to prepare and the steps that you’ll soon need to take, but it’s never any picnic.

My guess is this may have been a first for Bezos and they didn’t know what was happening, and; being in the middle nowhere in addition to being the CEO of a major stockholding company, it’s understandable the steps that were taken. Companies need to take care of their key people and insure them heavily.

I've always been under the impression kidney stones were the result of eating too much red meat, surprised to hear how tea would also cause kidney stones, as well.

Eliminating tea is a dietary change that is easy. If you have a history, I'd recommend trying it. Plus getting a KUB X-Ray before a major trip. I was going to Spain from JFK and did not want the Spanish medical system working on me.

The other complication is that I was on baby Aspirin for the heart. They have to wait 10 days before treatment so that can be eliminated, before lithotripsy.

My comments were never meant to address the privileged, special VIP treatment Bezos received once the kidney stones began wreaking havoc with his plans. I think it's quite plain I was merely referring to the the specific event of the attack itself, the irony of being subjected to a condition, circumstances he had no control over.

That you are so agog, judgmental over a rather plainly mundane detail is an issue for your therapist to unravel.

I used to be a hockey goalie. There were plenty of painful aspects to it, but the worst one ever that made me break out in a cold sweat in pain was taking a blistering slapshot to the big-toe side of my goalie skate.

(More painful than being hit in the bards, but far more bearable, because...it ain’t your bards!)

Anyway, that pain of being hit in the toe like that was similar to what I felt in my back when I passed that kidney stone.

Again, it war far more bearable in my toe, because...it was my toe. I knew what it was.

When it was inside me, it was far more disturbing.

34
posted on 01/04/2014 5:46:51 PM PST
by rlmorel
("A nation, despicable by its weakness, forfeits even the privilege of being neutral." A. Hamilton)

do you think anyone ordinary would've been afforded the same privilege?

On a cruise ship, yes. Read the fine print. If the cruise ship's medical staff determines that you have to be evacuated in a medical emergency, that's what happens. If you haven't signed up for the insurance with them, they can charge (I've heard the number $50,000) for helicopter evacuation, and they put it on your credit card.

I passed one stone two years ago (my one and only). It was the size of a shirt button. Took me eight months to pass it. Dr. told me I’m now labeled a “producer.” Hope this helps all my fellow “producers”..........

Take a water bottle and sip one large gulp after opening the bottle. Now replace the missing liquid with liquid lemon juice to the top. (Any lemon juice will do) Bottle should be full again. Add one packet of sugar (or splenda etc). Shake the bottle up. Drink two of these per day. I have never produced another stone and have no symptoms. Hope this is helpful.

And it was when I understood what a drug addict must feel when they need their fix. Because it was my first time on morphine...and that was like having GOD touch my back and heal it. At least for a while.

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